"i" vs. "y" - ryby/Francji

Is there a rule indicating when the letter "i" is used instead of "y"?

You have:

ryba (ryby)
chyba
tylko
było

Then you have

idzie
francji
pij
miłosć
i (as in "and")

I'm confused. Is there a rule or do I just rely on my słownyk to get the spelling right.

I don't think so, but pronunciation of 'i' and 'y' in Polish is clearly different.


słownik

(:

y - kind of sounds like "eh" kind of like the first "i" in wisconsin.
i - 'kind of sounds like "ee" - aberdeen

OMG You're right!

When I pronounced that list of words using your guide, it immediately sounded "right" to my ear. I'm literally shaking my head right now. I can't believe I've let things slip like this.

Seriously, I rarely get a chance to speak the language anymore and this is proof that if you don't use it, you will eventually lose it. I'm taking this as a bit of a wakeup call.

Thanks, everyone.

cool. glad to help. :)

To contrast, one may use some pairs of words:

bitch - beech
shit - sheet.

or, to use non-vulgar words:

ship (y) or sheep (i)
fit (y) or feet (i)

in fact, the phonetical representation of English short i (in ship)
is closer to Polish y than i and so is the sound
which is confusing for Poles who learn English.